scholarly journals The Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Depression and Academic Performance of University Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (43) ◽  
pp. 156-164
Author(s):  
Naomi Clark ◽  
Susan Ross ◽  
Julie Reneau ◽  
Julia Matzenbacher dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
University Students ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Depressive Mood ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Exercise Session

Depression is the most common Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) co-morbidities, and have been shown to relate to significantly poorer life functioning. ASD can also result in social isolation, debilitating moods, and stereotypical behaviors, which can negative effect academic performance. Young adults with ASD are less likely to enroll in college than are people with other types of disabilities. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of an exercise program on depression and academic performance within university students with ASD. University students with ASD participated in a circuit training exercise protocol for three weeks. Depressive mood states were measured pre-and-post exercise session by a self-report questionnaire, whereas, academic performance was evaluated pre-and-post study by the professor. Participants mood improved after a bout of exercise on the first training day, however, it was not observed in the following weeks. There were no changes in academic performance. Exercise might be effective on academic performance when the protocol is performed at a longer rate. However, a bout of exercise prior to class could ameliorate ASD university student performance during class by the improvement of depression.

Supporting university students with autism spectrum disorder

Autism ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashleigh Hillier ◽  
Jody Goldstein ◽  
Deirdra Murphy ◽  
Rhoda Trietsch ◽  
Jacqueline Keeves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
University Students ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Group Model ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Students With Autism

Increasing numbers of students with autism spectrum disorder are entering higher education. Their success can be jeopardized by organizational, social/emotional, and academic challenges if appropriate supports are not in place. Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a support group model for university students with autism spectrum disorder in improving psychological and functional outcomes. A curriculum guided the weekly discussions and consisted of topics such as time and stress management, managing group work, and social communication. Efficacy was assessed through pre- and post self-report measures focused on self-esteem, loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Functional changes in academic and social skills were examined through qualitative analysis of focus groups. Findings from the self-report measures indicated significant reductions in feelings of loneliness and general anxiety, and a significant increase in self-esteem at the end of the program compared to the beginning. Five prominent themes were identified in the focus-group analysis and reflected how the program had positively impacted participants’ skills and coping: executive functioning; goal setting; academics and resources; stress and anxiety; and social. Given the cost effectiveness of “in-house” interventions and the potential for improving academic outcomes and retention of students with autism spectrum disorder, further research examining similar program models is warranted.

scholarly journals Autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in adults: phenotype and genotype findings from a clinically derived cohort

2019 ◽  
Vol 215 (5) ◽  
pp. 647-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack F. G. Underwood ◽  
Kimberley M. Kendall ◽  
Jennifer Berrett ◽  
Catrin Lewis ◽  
Richard Anney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social History ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Rare Cnvs ◽  
Patient Counselling ◽  
Genetic Characteristics ◽  
Common Genetic Variants

BackgroundThe past decade has seen the development of services for adults presenting with symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the UK. Compared with children, little is known about the phenotypic and genetic characteristics of these patients.AimsThis e-cohort study aimed to examine the phenotypic and genetic characteristics of a clinically presenting sample of adults diagnosed with ASD by specialist services.MethodIndividuals diagnosed with ASD as adults were recruited by the National Centre for Mental Health and completed self-report questionnaires, interviews and provided DNA; 105 eligible individuals were matched to 76 healthy controls. We investigated demographics, social history and comorbid psychiatric and physical disorders. Samples were genotyped, copy number variants (CNVs) were called and polygenic risk scores were calculated.ResultsOf individuals with ASD, 89.5% had at least one comorbid psychiatric diagnosis, with depression (62.9%) and anxiety (55.2%) being the most common. The ASD group experienced more neurological comorbidities than controls, particularly migraine headache. They were less likely to have married or be in work, and had more alcohol-related problems. There was a significantly higher load of autism common genetic variants in the adult ASD group compared with controls, but there was no difference in the rate of rare CNVs.ConclusionsThis study provides important information about psychiatric comorbidity in adult ASD, which may inform clinical practice and patient counselling. It also suggests that the polygenic load of common ASD-associated variants may be important in conferring risk within the non-intellectually disabled population of adults with ASD.Declaration of interestNone.

scholarly journals Physiological and self-report responses of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder to children crying

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yagmur Ozturk ◽  
Andrea Bizzego ◽  
Gianluca Esposito ◽  
Cesare Furlanello ◽  
Paola Venuti
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Self Report

scholarly journals Initially intact neural responses to pain in autism are diminished during sustained pain

Autism ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 669-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle D Failla ◽  
Estephan J Moana-Filho ◽  
Greg K Essick ◽  
Grace T Baranek ◽  
Baxter P Rogers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Adults With Autism ◽  
Pain Experience ◽  
Stimulus Offset

Pain assessments typically depend on self-report of the pain experience. Yet, in individuals with autism spectrum disorders, this can be an unreliable due to communication difficulties. Importantly, observations of behavioral hypo- and hyperresponsivity to pain suggest altered pain sensitivity in autism spectrum disorder. Neuroimaging may provide insight into mechanisms underlying pain behaviors. The neural pain signature reliably responds to painful stimulation and is modulated by other outside regions, affecting the pain experience. In this first functional magnetic resonance imaging study of pain in autism spectrum disorder, we investigated neural responses to pain in 15 adults with autism spectrum disorder relative to a typical comparison group (n = 16). We explored temporal and spatial properties of the neural pain signature and its modulators during sustained heat pain. The two groups had indistinguishable pain ratings and neural pain signature responses during acute pain; yet, we observed strikingly reduced neural pain signature response in autism spectrum disorder during sustained pain and after stimulus offset. The posterior cingulate cortex, a neural pain signature modulating region, mirrored this late signal reduction in autism spectrum disorder. Intact early responses, followed by diminished late responses to sustained pain, may reflect altered pain coping or evaluation in autism spectrum disorder. Evidence of a dichotomous neural response to initial versus protracted pain may clarify the coexistence of both hypo- and hyperresponsiveness to pain in autism spectrum disorder.

Efficacy of romantic and sexual psycho-educational training for adolescent with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder: A pilot study

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S439-S439
Author(s):  
G. Giovagnoli ◽  
G. Mossolani ◽  
E. Napoli ◽  
M. Pontillo ◽  
S. Vicari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Sexual Functioning ◽  
Control Sample ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Sexual Education ◽  
Educational Training ◽  
High Functioning

IntroductionRomantic and sexual functioning in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are understudied. Recent findings evidenced that adolescents and adults with present romantic and sexual behaviors comparable with their neurotypical peers. However, it is worth to note that dysfunctional and inappropriate romantic and sexual behaviors are often described in this population.ObjectivesTo investigate efficacy of a psycho-educational training in a small group of adolescent with high-functioning ASD (HFA, QI > 70).MethodsSix adolescents (all males, range age 14–16 years) have been evaluated before (T0) and after (T1) a 10-session sexual and romantic psycho-educational structured group training, of 90′ each session. Clinical evaluation included parent-report questionnaires, as SBS for sexual behaviors and CBCL for behavioral problems, and a self-report questionnaire for sexual behaviors, called SESAMO. Moreover, autistic symptoms were investigated with ADOS-2 at T0.ResultsPreliminary analysis revealed a statistically significant differences between T0 and T1 in sexual education (P = 0.02) and frequency of dysfunctional sexual behaviors (P = 0.02) of SBS and in sexual expectations about the partner in SESAMO (P = 0.04). No differences were found in CBCL.ConclusionPreliminary results showed an improvement of romantic and sexual functioning in adolescent boys with HFA, as reported by either parents and adolescents, after participating to a structured psycho-educational training. More sexual education and information, less inappropriate sexual behaviors and more-appropriate expectations about potential partner were reported at the end of the training. These results should be confirmed in studies including larger ASD and control sample.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Characteristics and Experiences of Parents of Children with Learning and Attention Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Mixed Methods Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 106648072110523
Author(s):  
Emma Chad-Friedman ◽  
Karen A. Kuhlthau ◽  
Rachel A. Millstein ◽  
Giselle K. Perez ◽  
Christina M. Luberto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Stress And Coping ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
And Coping

Parents of children with learning and attention disorders (LAD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience chronic parenting stress due to the challenges in raising a child with special needs. We used a mixed methods design to examine characteristics and experiences of stress and coping among parents of children with LAD and ASD. We conducted 20 semi-structured focus group interviews with parents of children with LAD ( n = 11) and ASD ( n = 9) and administered a battery of self-report measures of stress and coping to parents of LAD ( n = 53) and ASD ( n = 51) enrolled in a pilot trial. Qualitative findings showed that parents of children with LAD and ASD largely experienced similar sources of stress, but with different intensities due to their children's different difficulties. Quantitative findings reflected high levels of distress among parents of children with LAD and ASD, with parents of children with ASD demonstrating higher distress and poorer overall sleep quality. Stressors experienced by parents of children with ASD arose from more overt challenges associated with having a child with more visible challenges. Parents of children with LAD experienced more subtle challenges of having a child who is less overtly impaired. Findings will aid in the development of targeted stress management interventions.

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